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Mother's Day Weekend 2023 in NYC: Brunches and More Things To Do with Kids

Enjoy a Mother's Day weekend Garden Party at the New York Botanical Garden. Photo by Ben Hilder/courtesy of the New York Botanical Garden
Enjoy a Mother's Day weekend Garden Party at the New York Botanical Garden. Photo by Ben Hilder/courtesy of the New York Botanical Garden
5/10/23 - By Drew Kristofik

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for Mother's Day weekend 2023.

Whether you're looking for something high energy or something more along the lines of "someone else take the reins," we have your Mother's Day weekend sorted. Take it easy with a movie under the stars, including Soul in Harlem or Turning Red in Sunset Park, and then let the kids make you a pizza when we team up with ANA Bar & Eatery for a special Mother's Day weekend workshop.

Japan Day is back on the Upper West Side, Open Stages sets Brooklyn to music, there's a Native American Children's fest downtown, kids can watch sheep get their spring haircuts in Queens, and you can go fly a kite in Brooklyn Heights.

We have piles of possibilities in our Family Activity Calendar, as well as 26 Mother's Day brunch recommendations and 25 more fun ways to spend the day. No matter what you do, we'd like to wish you a Happy Mother's Day from all of us!

More Things To Do in New York City This Week With Kids

Be sure to click through to each listing for all the details, including recommended ages and time.

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Join Brooklyn Bridge Park for a day of fun and adventure as kites take to the skies in a festive display. Photo by Etienne Frossard
Join Brooklyn Bridge Park for a day of fun and adventure as kites take to the skies in a festive display. Photo by Etienne Frossard

Best Things To Do in NYC This Weekend With Kids

Movies Under the Stars: Turning Red (PG)

Sunset Park, Brooklyn–FREE
Friday, May 12
In Disney Pixar's 2022 hit animated film, a 13-year-old girl named Meilin turns into a giant red panda whenever she gets too excited. READ MORE

The Comedy of Errors

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn–FREE
Friday, May 12
The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit pops up in communities across New York City, including many NYC Parks locations, with a musical adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy. READ MORE

Teens Take The Met

Upper East Side–FREE
Friday, May 12
Teens come together to explore their creativity and make discoveries through art. Teens Take The Met spans the entire museum and introduces teens to the programs of 40 cultural organizations from across the five boroughs. READ MORE

Movies Under the Stars: Soul (PG)

Harlem–FREE
Friday, May 12
Pixar's animated smash about a jazz musician who finds his Soul shines on a big outdoor screen. Bring a blanket and a picnic. READ MORE

Heart-Shaped Pizza Making Workshop

Hudson Yards
Saturday, May 13
Make memories (and lunch!) with a family cooking class at the new ANA Bar & Eatery in Hudson Yards. Kids and adults will each have a spot at the table, making heart-shaped pizzas in celebration of Mother’s Day. While your pizzas bake, make cards for mom.   READ MORE

Japan Day Parade and Street Fair

Upper West Side–FREE
Saturday, May 13
Japan Day is celebrated with a parade and street fair. Watch the parade march down Central Park West before enjoying the festive street fair along 72nd Street.  READ MORE

Brooklyn Bike Jumble

Park Slope, Brooklyn
Saturday, May 13
New York's only bicycle flea market returns to Park Slope. Find a new or used bike for the upcoming season, plus bike accessories, and more. READ MORE

Carnegie Hall's Musical Explorers Family Day

Midtown West
Saturday, May 13
Kids are invited to meet musical artists from around the world, including cumbia music with Gregorio, Vietnamese folk music with Vân-Ánh, and Jordanian folk music with Farah. READ MORE

Mother's Day Celebration

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Saturday, May 13
Celebrate Mother’s Day weekend at the Brooklyn Children's Museum with a heartwarming and eco-conscious tribute to the nurturing forces that surround us—from those found in nature to human mothers, grandmothers, and caregivers, to Mother Earth herself. READ MORE

International Migratory Bird Day

Prospect Park, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, May 13
Help the Prospect Park Alliance celebrate the importance of stop-over locations like Prospect Park to migratory birds. More than 250 species have been recorded in the park, and it is not uncommon to see 100 or more species in one spring day. READ MORE

Kelli Welli & Nanny Nikki at Jalopy Theatre

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
Saturday, May 13
Kelli Welli and Nanny Nikki perform family-friendly tunes for Uncle Shlomo's Family Concert Series.  READ MORE

Open Stages 2024 in Park Slope

Park Slope, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, May 13
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s spring music festival is back to rock Park Slope once again! Stoops, school lots, parks, gardens, and sidewalks host more than 150 musicians throughout the day, including classical musicians, hip-hop artists, marching bands, kids' groups, and more. READ MORE

Urban Wildlife Festival

Inwood–FREE
Saturday, May 13
Get up close and personal with NYC’s wild residents. Learn about squirrels, turtles, raccoons, opossums, and coyotes, and discover the best places in New York City and New York state to watch wildlife. READ MORE

Lift Off: A Waterfront Kite Festival

Brooklyn Heights–FREE
Saturday, May 13
The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy kicks off its spring and summer programming season with this beloved kite-flying fest. This family-friendly event takes over BBP's Pier 5, offering all ages the opportunity to watch their kites soar above the Manhattan skyline while enjoying special activities exploring the science of flight. READ MORE

Farmhouse Family Day: Clay Leaf Printing

Flatbush, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, May 13
Set nature’s patterns into clay! Scavenge around the farm and find the perfect flowers and leaves to make your very own clay leaf print. Paints, beads, and strings are provided.    READ MORE

Sheep Shearing Festival

Glen Oaks, Queens
Saturday, May 13
Visit the Queens County Farm Museum on the Nassau-Queens border to see the sheep get their annual haircuts. Move to the foot-stomping rhythms of live music, and enjoy farmer-led tours and a plant sale all day.  READ MORE

Family Art Project: Flowers for Mother's Day at Wave Hill

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday, May 13-Sunday, May 14
Floriography is the art of using flowers to communicate a message. Send someone special a loving message by creating a bouquet of paper flowers. Then arrange your creation in a vibrant vase of your own making. READ MORE

Native New York Children’s Festival

Battery Park–FREE
Saturday, May 13-Sunday, May 14
Native New York is the theme of this year's National Museum of the American Indian Children's Fest. Hands-on activities include corn husk dollmaking, traditional Tuscarora beadwork, listening to Haudenosaunee stories, and learning about lacrosse.  READ MORE

Mother's Day Weekend Garden Party

Bronx Park, the Bronx
Saturday, May 13-Sunday, May 14
Mother's Day at the New York Botanical Garden is abloom with activities, music, crafts, and face painting—not to mention walking tours packed with colors and gorgeous spring scents. READ MORE

Songs for You and Me: Mother's Day Show with Allegra Levy

East Village
Sunday, May 14
Jazz singer Allegra Levy releases her original family-friendly album, Songs for You and Me, at a special Mother’s Day concert! READ MORE

Playground Adventure Pop-Up

Central Park–FREE
Sunday, May 14
Kids and their caregivers are invited to a special pop-up event at the East 110th Street Playground, where Central Park Conservancy guides introduce the marvels of urban planning and playground design. Participate in hands-on activities and discover what makes Central Park’s beloved play spaces so innovative. READ MORE

Mother's Day Flower ID Walk

Inwood–FREE
Sunday, May 14
Enjoy a relaxing stroll through the beautiful Heather Garden in Fort Tryon Park in honor of Mother’s Day, and learn the names of some of the flowers there.  READ MORE

St. Patrick's Day Folklore Nature Crafts in Allison Pond Park

Snug Harbor, Staten Island–FREE
Sunday, May 14
Explore nature with the Urban Park Rangers as they share tales from Irish folklore, and learn how to make fairy homes out of natural materials. READ MORE

Nature's Workshop: Wildflower Pressing

Crotona Park, Bronx–FREE
Sunday, May 14
Learn how to press and preserve wildflowers with the Urban Park Rangers—just in time for Mother's Day. READ MORE

Citi Field Spring Carnival

Corona, Queens
Through Sunday, May 14
Dreamland Amusements sprinkles Citi Field with rides (a Ferris wheel, roller coasters, Himalaya gravity defiers, swings, bob cars) and carnival games. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Martin Luther King Jr. Playground
Prospect Park Audubon Center
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in New York
Central Park's E. 110th Street Playground